Baby Flynn
by Heart Wishes and Dizzy Dreams
Summary: Mike and Kate get an unexpected surprise. That doesn't mean its not welcome though...Assumed Mike/Kate relationship. Warning: May contain spoilers for seasons 3 & 4
1. Surprised and Nervous

A/N: Okay, so this is my first Sea Patrol fan fiction so apologies if it is dreadful. I have written Harry Potter ones in the past and have decided because I am obsessed with Sea Patrol, have literally read all the fan fictions based on it on this website and own all three seasons on DVD that it might be about time for me to attempt to write one. That and I'm crazy bored and really do not feel like writing a psychology lab report for uni at the moment. I've decided to write this story about my favorite couple, Mike and Kate, whom, in my opinion, are made for each other and really need to get their act together on the show. Reviews would be really helpful as I haven't written a fan fiction, let alone any sort of fiction, in months. Also let me know what you thought about the first episode of season 4. If you haven't seen it yet there may be a couple of spoilers for episode one of season four which I will apologise for now and put a warning about in the blurb of this fic but if you have flick me a review and tell me what your favorite part is. I know mine.

Warning!: I say again this fic may have spoilers for season four of Sea Patrol. Also I am rating it T to be cautious. If I write any M-rated content I will put a warning at the beginning of that chapter.

Disclaimer: Don't own the show or the characters unfortunately. Just the storyline. Which I hope you like. Enjoy!

Baby Flynn

"Mike," said Kate, a warning edge to the tone of her voice as she watched the aforementioned man pace around the small, rectangular, white-walled room his thoughts clearly somewhere else. "Mike!" she snapped and he looked at her in surprise, his slightly wounded expression conveying that he hadn't heard her the first hundred times she had called his name nor did he understand why she was snapping at him. "Would you please sit down?" she asked him pleadingly, "All your pacing is making me nervous."

"But Kate," he whined, sounding astoundingly like a complaining two year-old, "I'm pacing because I'm nervous!" Kate glared at him but he ignored her, unconsciously twisting the wedding band on his left finger as he walked, She still couldn't believe they'd been happily married for six months. Of course there had been a couple of minor disagreements in the early days of the marriage. Mike had learnt the hard way that he couldn't pull rank on Kate at home and that she was in charge where there marriage was concerned but it gave him a small satisfaction that whenever they were at NAVCOM together she still had to refer to him as 'sir'.

"Mike!" Kate pleaded again, her already stretched patience waning, and Mike looked at her again continuing his pacing, his thoughts still far away but the gleam of a challenge appearing in his eyes. Kate closed her eyes and uttered a silent prayer for both strength and forgiveness before slipping into lieutenant mode. "Michael Flynn!"she said, calmly yet menacingly, "If you do not sit down this instant I swear to God I will make you sorry you married me!" Mike stopped pacing and looked at her, his blue eyes searching her green for a sign she was bluffing, causing him to pause long enough for her to grab his arm and yank him into the seat next to her. She was surprisingly strong for such a small person.

Mike sighed, leaning against the back of his chair, and wrapped Kate's small hand up in both his large ones, marveling at the softness of her skin even after years of them being together. He knew she wasn't going to allow him to get up again until the appointment was over so he might as well resign himself to remaining seated. "Why are you so nervous?" inquired Kate, looking him in the eye so he couldn't lie to her. He decided, instead of answering, to avoid her question by asking the same one back. "Why are you nervous?" he asked, trying to appear innocent. "I'm not!" she said but her glance at her hands, away from his eyes as she answered gave her away. "You said you were." he said, hoping to distract her from insisting on him answering her original question. "No," she replied, "I said 'you' were making me nervous," placing unnecessary stress upon the word 'you'. "And you still haven't answered my question," she said, looking him in the eye again.

He sighed again, unable at the moment to think of anything worse then sitting in the office of your wife's doctor, waiting for results of a test that could change your entire life. Maybe getting hit in the leg with that piece of shrapnel was slightly more unpleasant than this but at the moment it was a pretty close call. It wasn't so much that the actual result of the test was getting to him. It was more the unknown, the waiting. He stalled answering her question by thinking back over last night...

* * *

She really couldn't have picked a worse time to talk to him. He was lying in bed, his beautiful wife wrapped in his arms and was just drifting off to sleep. "Mike?" Kate said, the inquiring tone to her voice clearly indicating that she was wondering whether or not he was asleep yet. "Mmph?" he replied which appeared to be enough for her to continue talking. "I have to go to the doctor tomorrow to get the results of a test. Will you come with me?" her voice sounded slightly nervous. "Yeah,"said Mike sleepily, "but if its just a routine test why do you want me there?" "We-ell," said Kate, drawing the word out into two syllables, "It's not exactly routine." Mike began to get worried then. "Is there something wrong with you Kate?" he asked, turning the light on to see her face. She rolled over to face him, smiling slightly, "I wouldn't exactly say wrong," she replied. Mike was tired of her hedging, worried and really wanted to go to sleep so he decided this situation warranted his 'captain's voice' as Kate called it. "Kate," he said warningly, frowning at her, "what is going on?" She continued to smile at him and drew breath to reply. "I think I might be pregnant."

* * *

It wasn't that he didn't want kids. He did, He always had. The fact that they would be Kate's children also made it even better. He just didn't want to face the disappointment. He looked Kate in the eyes and decided finally to answer her question. "I'm nervous because I'm worried that the test result might be negative." She looked slightly confused so he explained, his gaze wandering as he searched for the right way to say this. "Kate, I really want to have children. I've always wanted children and the fact that I might get to have them with you makes me want them even more. And now that I've had a whole night thinking about it I'm really worried that I've got all excited and you won't be. Pregnant, I mean." He looked her in the eye again and saw that she was smiling, relieved at finally understanding why he had spent so much time pacing. She wished now that she had waited for the results before telling him anything but last night she realised she didn't want to be alone, in case the test was negative. She was nervous too but she had to think of someway to reassure him, if only to stop him fidgeting so much. "Look,"she said, exhaling before continuing, "if its positive, we're having a baby." She saw his face light up at the thought. A little baby, a boy. A miniature version of him but with her eyes. She continued before he could get to far into his fantasy. "But if its negative," she said, taking a breath and looking him in the eyes again, "we didn't plan this, we didn't even expect it so its not the end of the world." She sounded as though she was trying to convince herself as much as him. "And we can always try again," she finished, throwing him a seductive glance. He grinned at this, her favorite grin. The one that was slightly lopsided, that made her bones turn to jelly and that he reserved especially for her.

"Mr and Mrs Flynn?" they heard and looked up as Kate's doctor entered the room. "I'm Doctor Mercer." she introduced herself to Mike, shaking his hand before moving around to sit behind her desk. "Now, I have the results of your test Mrs Flynn. As you know we did a couple of tests to check for a wide variety of things that may have been causing your symptoms so I'll take you through the results now." Kate nodded and her and Mike exchanged a nervous glance, Mike holding Kate's hand stroking it soothingly. Doctor Mercer smiled at them, "Okay, so your red and white blood cell count was perfectly normal which is good." Kate nodded again. "Your haem iron count is within an acceptable range so you're not anemic and your cholesterol level is excellent. Nice and low. Now as to the results of your other test." Mike breathed out slowly and Kate squeezed his hand reassuringly. Dr Mercer smiled, wider than before and spoke again. "I'm pleased to tell you that you are, in fact pregnant, as you suspected. Congratulations, you're going to be parents." Kate laughed as Mike threw his arms around her in happiness, relieved that the wait was over and ecstatic that he was going to be a father.

Later that night Kate lay on the lounge, wrapped in Mike's arms as his fingers traced lazy circles on her abdomen. "Boy or girl?" she asked him, smiling happily. "Boy." said Mike immediately. "Of course." Kate replied, laughing softly as he tickled her ribs in punishment for her comment. "I suppose you think its a girl?" he asked Kate. "Naturally,"she said back, "It is a girl. Don't forget I'm always right." She said, turning over to smile cheekily at him. "Whatever you say dear." Mike replied, leaning in to kiss her, far too happy to start a fight.

A/N: Well I hope you liked it. I'm open to any suggestions for future chapters. I'm not too sure where its going to head yet. I'm considering twins maybe but I'm still undecided. Let me know what you think!


	2. That Annoying Little Question

A/N: Chapter 2. Yay! I'll try to update this as often as possible but what with going to uni I may find it difficult. Apologies in advance then if I fail to update for a while. This chapter leaves you hanging a little bit but I will post chapter 3 as soon as possible so you don't have to wait too long. There are no spoilers in this chapter. I'm avoiding them as much as possible. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Same as before. Sea Patrol belongs to Di, Hal and Channel Nine

This chapter is dedicated to Princess Popsicle for her really helpful review

"Oh God!" said Kate, sitting up suddenly, her left hand pressed to her still flat abdomen, her right flying to her mouth. Mike opened his eyes as she threw their blankets of herself and ran for the bathroom. He chuckled before stretching and rising from the bed to follow her. Reaching the bathroom he found her in the same position as he had the last four mornings, bent over the toilet, her shoulders heaving. He walked up behind her and crouching down gathered her hair in one hand to keep it off her face while rubbing soothing circles on her back with the other. She finished upending the contents of her stomach and reached up to press the flush button before sinking to sit on the cool floor tiles that felt soothing against her clammy skin. He sat down beside her, still rubbing circles on her back while his other hand stroked her cheek. "This is horrible," she said, leaning against his warm body, "its only been four days and it already feels like forever. How will I be able to stand months of throwing up every morning?" Not only mornings, thought Mike to himself. He wondered why they called it morning sickness if it could happen at anytime during the day but decided not to voice these thoughts instead replying with, "You'll get through it. You're strong. And I'll be here for you." She looked up at his face, smiling softly but her eyes were slightly sad. "What about when you're at sea?" she asked quietly, finally voicing the question that had been lingering at the back of both of their heads for the past four days, her smile fading as her eyes found his and she saw the conflict there.

When they had realised they still loved each other and wanted to be together three years ago Kate had taken a shore posting. She knew how much he loved being at sea and it was just easier for her to apply for an onshore job instead of having endless arguments with Mike over it. She missed the adventure of sailing on Hammersley and the adrenaline rush of boardings. She'd be crazy not to. But she wanted to be with Mike more then she wanted to hunt down FFVs and frankly she was better suited to a desk job, her highly organised mind making her an incredibly efficient asset to NAVCOM. But now they were married and expecting a baby in 7 months. Mike had seen Swain suffer being unable to be there for Sally throughout the pregnancy and missing the birth of Chloe and he didn't want that to happen to him but he loved going away to sea, loved the feel of a boat, his boat, rocking underneath his feet. He thought about how Kate had so quickly given up her job on Hammersley for him and he was suddenly ashamed that he was conflicted about making the same sacrifice for her and the baby.

Kate could see the mental battle being waged inside his head in his eyes. She could almost hear what he was thinking, knowing exactly what arguments he was stacking up against the others and she suddenly wished she hadn't asked the question. That they could delay this conversation a few more weeks when it wouldn't be intruding on the happiness of their recent discovery. "Mike,"she said tentatively and his eyes focused so that he was looking at her, "forget about it. Forget I asked that question. We have plenty of time to decide what to do." And there it was. The lie. Because he knew there wasn't plenty of time. It would take awhile for another CO to be found for Hammersley and then Mike would have to show them the ropes. By that time he would have already missed a large chunk of Kate's pregnancy and he didn't want that. He had to decide now. And by the time he had processed this all in his head he realised what he wanted. It had literally been staring him in the face the whole time he'd been lost in his thoughts and was still looking at him now, waiting to see if he would forget about what she had asked.

Kate's eyes searched the crowded cafe, looking for the brown hair of Nikki Caetano. She spotted her in the corner and made her way over to her, pushing past the other tables overflowing with people. "Kate!" said Nikki as she spotted her friend and pulled out the chair she had been guarding so Kate could sit down. "I thought you weren't going to make it." she said as she took in the slight bags under Kate's eyes and the tiredness in her movements, frowning slightly as she processed these. "Sorry,"said Kate putting her hat down on the table by her elbow, "Marshall had some paperwork he wanted to go through before going to lunch and I got held up a little. Are you enjoying shore leave?" she asked, smiling at her friend. "Yeah,"she replied, her tone bright, "its great having more then a couple of days with Josh. I bet your happy to have Mike home for two weeks." Kate nodded enthusiastically and Nikki laughed before changing the subject.

Not being one to beat about the bush she dove right in. "Are you feeling okay Kate?" she asked, her tone laced with concern for her friend. "You sound really tired and you've got bags under your eyes." "I'm just tired." Kate replied, "Marshall has been giving me a lot of paperwork lately and with Mike home I haven't been getting much sleep." Nikki smiled at this and was about to ask how Mike was when the waitress arrived to take their order. Nikki ordered a strong coffee while Kate asked simply for a glass of water. This itself caused Nikki to worry more. She had never known Kate to not order coffee no matter where they went so she asked again, scrutinising her friend's face closely.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay Kate?" Nikki asked again, looking a Kate so intently it made her nervous. "You always order coffee." Kate merely shrugged in reply. "I'm fine Nikki. I have honestly never been better. I just don't feel like coffee." Nikki decided to drop it, knowing that she wouldn't get any other answer from, and changed the subject again. They chatted for 15 minutes before Kate realised she better start heading back to NAVCOM. "Nikki I've gotta go or I'll be late for a meeting but I was wondering if you and Josh would like to come over for dinner tonight? We haven't done anything like that for a while and I think Mike has a couple of things he wants to discuss with you." Nikki looked surprised but happy."We'd love to." she said and Kate smiled back at her. "Good," she said, "come over at about seven o'clock then." Nikki nodded and Kate left, hurrying to make it to her meeting.

"Mike!" Kate called as she set the dining room table, "Did you put the champagne in the fridge?" He over to the room and lent on the doorway, watching as she placed cutlery beside the plates. She was wearing a deep blue dress, his favorite colour on her, that ended just above her knees and hugged her slim form, showing off her graceful curves. "You look beautiful," he said and she turned around and smiled at him, a warm loving smile that reached her eyes. "Thank you," she said walking over and kissing him on the cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for another kiss, showing her how much he loved. She smiled as they broke apart and she stroked his cheek before turning back to the table. "Did you put the champagne in the fridge?" she asked again, looking at him and he nodded, earning himself another smile. He was tempted to go over there and kiss her again but the doorbell rang and she waved her hand at him to go answer it.


	3. Parenthood and Promotions

A/N: Okay, I know this is a bit short but it ties up the loose ends from the last chapter so I can move on with the story in the next. All of your reviews so far have been really helpful guys so keep them coming. They've helped me to decide whats going to happen in the next few chapters. I'll be able to keep posting quite often now because I don't have any uni assignments for a few weeks. I'll try to put a new chapter up every couple of days but unfortunately no promises. Anyway, onwards with the bit you're actually here for!

Disclaimer: Sea Patrol is not mine unfortunately. If it was there would be a lot of breaking of fraternisation rules

"That was delicious Kate." said Nikki as she helped her carry the plates into the kitchen. "Thank you,"said Kate, smiling at Nikki, "it was..." but she trailed off as her skin paled and her hand flew to her mouth. "Kate?" asked Nikki, concerned. Kate just shook her head and ran to the bathroom. Mike and Josh had been chatting quietly when Kate rushed past. Mike smiled apologetically and hurried after her. Nikki walked out of the kitchen and sat down at the table. "What was that about?"Josh asked Nikki. Nikki just shrugged. "I don't know. We were just talking and then she turned pale and ran out of the kitchen." Josh shared a worried look with her and they sat in silence, waiting for Kate and Mike to come back.

About 5 minutes later they returned. Mike had his arm wrapped around Kate who was still slightly pale. They sat at the table too and Kate looked at Nikki, knowing she was bursting to ask questions. And she wasn't disappointed. "Whats going on?"asked Nikki worriedly, "Are you okay Kate? Is there something wrong with you? You looked really tired earlier today and you are still pale. Are you sick? What..." the rest of her string of questions was cut of when Josh placed his hand over her mouth. "How about we let them talk Nikki?" Josh said, looking her in the eye. She nodded and he took his hand off her mouth.

Mike and Kate looked at each other and had a silent conversation before turning back towards Nikki and Josh. Mike opened his mouth to speak but closed it, looking back at Kate and winking at her quickly. "Should we tell them Kate? He asked her innocently, trying not to grin. "I don't know," said Kate, "Nikki seems pretty desperate to know. And it does sort of concern her..." Nikki was almost jumping out of her seat. "Do you want to tell them?" Mike asked her and she nodded. "Why not?" she replied.

Kate looked at Nikki and Josh, desperately trying not to laugh at the pained expression on Nikki's face and the expectant one on Josh's. "I'm pregnant." she said smiling and was immediately deafened by Nikki's delighted scream. "Thats great!"she cried, rushing around the table to hug Kate and Mike, both of whom were laughing at her. Josh smiled and shook Mike's hand. "Congratulations mate," he said warmly. "Thats not all though," said Kate once Nikki had stopped hugging her and had resumed her seat. Kate looked at Mike and nodded.

"I'm taking a shore posting," said Mike, smiling at the shocked looks on Nikki and Josh's faces. "Really?"asked Nikki, not quite able to believe that Mike would voluntarily give up the Hammersley. "Yes,"said Mike, laughing slightly, "I don't want to miss out on Kate's pregnancy or our child growing up. I see how hard it is for Swain, missing out on all of Chloe's milestones so I've made up my mind." Nikki and Josh nodded. They had both seen Swain suffer, missing so much of Chloe's childhood. "This decision doesn't just affect me though," said Mike, looking at Nikki, "there are going to be a few changes on board Hammersley as a result." Nikki looked slightly worried but nodded, listening closely to Mike.

"I'll be finishing my rotation on Hammersley,"he continued, "but after that a new CO will be posted. I don't know who yet. Unfortunately, our current Executive Officer has requested a transfer to Sydney leaving us with a slight problem." Nikki nodded again, not sure where Mike was heading with this. "Commander Marshall and I discussed possible options and we came to a result that we think will be to everyone's satisfaction,"Mike said, smiling while Josh and Nikki looked confused, "Its is therefore my pleasure to inform you, Nikki, of your promotion to Executive Officer." Nikki sat very still for a second, slowly processing what Mike had said. They all watched her, trying to guess what she was thinking. A slow smile spread across her face and she looked at Kate. "I guess I get the best rack now," she said and Kate laughed, remembering their rocky start when she first joined the crew of Hammersley. "Champagne!" said Mike, heading into the kitchen and returning with champagne for he, Nikki and Josh and apple juice for Kate. "To parenthood and well deserved promotions!" said Mike, clinking glasses with the others before taking a sip. "To surprises!" said Kate, smiling at Mike.

Kate lay in Mike's arms and sighed in contentment. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she felt safer or happier. "Thank you,"she said to Mike, shifting slightly so she could see his face. "What for?"he asked, smiling quizzically at her. "Taking a shore posting, looking after me, just for everything,"she said, stroking his cheek softly. "Kate," he said, running his fingers through her hair, "you don't have to thank me for anything." "I love you," she said, pulling him towards her for a kiss. He braided his fingers into her hair and rolled them both until he was laying gently on top of her. "I love you too," he whispered, kissing her again.


	4. Storms A Comin'

A/N: I know! Its been a couple of days. I'm sorry. Because you've all been so patient I'm going to post two chapters this evening. This one is a bit of a cliffhanger. I'd also like to add how AMAZING Thursday nights episode of Sea Patrol was. I have already watched it three times

Disclaimer: Sea Patrol is not mine. If it were, ET would still be alive instead of off being a doctor on ER

Kate woke the next morning to find herself alone in bed and a note on Mike's pillow. She picked the note up, about to read it when her stomach flipped and she had to dash to the bathroom. After heaving the contents of her stomach into the toilet she pulled on her robe and walked back to the bedroom and grabbed Mike's note. She sat down on the bed and looked down at Mike's messy scrawl.

_Kate, _he wrote

_You looked so peaceful I couldn't bear to wake you. Marshall called. Hammersley has been crash sailed to respond to a mayday. It should be a short trip and I promise I will be back in time for your ultrasound tomorrow. I wouldn't miss seeing our baby for the first time for all the world. Meet you at the hospital tomorrow gorgeous._

_All my love,_

_Mike_

Kate sighed and placed the note on the bed beside her. Mike had said he would be back in time for her ultrasound but she knew too well how quickly something could come up that could turn a short trip into a very long one. She shook her head wearily and headed for the shower hoping with all her heart that Mike would be back tomorrow.

* * *

Mike walked onto the bridge whistling happily. They had been able to sort the mayday out quickly and were already heading back to port. Swain smiled at him from the helm. "In a good mood sir?"he asked. Mike nodded and smiled back. "I most certainly am Swain," he replied. Before Swain could ask why Nav called for Mike's attention. "Sir,"she said a little tentatively. She knew why the captain was in such a good mood and was upset that she had to disrupt it. "NAVCOM have just informed us that there is a tropical low forming that will cause a large storm tonight," Mike's smile faltered in response to Nav's words but he kept his disappointment from his voice. "Where?" he asked, desperately hoping it was nowhere near them. "Its directly on our course to base sir," she said, looking at him apologetically. He nodded and stared out at the ocean, lost in thought. "Sir?" Nav asked, prompting him out of his reverie.

Mike squared his shoulders and tried to clear his head. "What are our options Nav?"he asked and waited for her reply. "There really isn't any sir,"she replied, looking at the GPS. "There is no land nearby to provide shelter and the nearest harbor we could moor in is the Tiwi Islands but they're 5 hours from here." Mike nodded and sighed. "Alright,"he said looking around the bridge, "we're going have to battle through the storm. Nav, pipe the X to the bridge and then calculate when the storm will hit us." Nav nodded and called for the X over the P.A. before turning back to her chart. Mike talked to Charge and the X, his brain on auto as he tried not to think about missing Kate's ultrasound. They could still make it back in time but he would need all Hammersley had to do it.

* * *

Kate was just about to leave NAVCOM when Marshall called her into his office. He offered her a seat before taking his behind the desk. "Kate,"he began and before he had really said anything she knew something was wrong. "Hammersley was headed back to port this afternoon when they hit a huge storm. They were still making good time but then we lost communication with them. We don't know yet if its because of the storm or some other problem. We can't send a coast watch plane to do a fly over because of the storm." Kate swallowed and took a deep breath, struggling to keep her worry in check. Marshall looked at her sympathetically as she stared at him, unable to think of anything to say.

"Look,"said Marshall, his tone reassuring, "we don't know that anything has happened. The storm could have just knocked out their communications. We'll get a plane up first thing in the morning to do a sweep. Try not to worry too much. You know Mike wouldn't let a storm keep him from coming home to you. Go home and try to get some sleep." Kate nodded and gave Marshall a half smile. "Thank you sir,"she said before turning to leave his office. "Oh and Kate," he called after her, giving her a smile, "good luck with your ultrasound." Kate nodded her thanks and left, her heart heavy with worry.


	5. Two Plus Two Equals Four

A/N: Okay, chapter five. A bit more fluff I this chapter but I can't help it. Mike and Kate are just perfect for each other.

Disclaimer: So don't own Sea Patrol, so wish I did.

Kate could remember sleeping as badly as she had last night only two other times in her life. One was the night Mike had left her over seven years ago with nothing but a note. The other was the night they were traveling back from Samaru after Mike was injured. She had spent most of that night sitting in his cabin, breathing in his scent and praying he was okay. She had tried to follow Marshall's advice not to worry. She went straight home from NAVCOM, threw together a quick salad for her dinner, vomited it back up again and then went to bed.

While all of this had kept her distracted and her mind off Mike once she tried to sleep her head was filled with worry. The bed felt to big and cold without him laying next her, his arms wrapped around. Her stomach churned and no matter how many times she rolled over and hit her pillow she could not get completely comfortable. When she did manage to doze off it was restless sleep, full of dreams where she kept calling out to Mike, trying to find him but never could. Eventually she gave up on sleep. She was exhausted but she couldn't stand the dreams any longer. She threw on her robe and made her way to the kitchen in search of coffee.

She opened the cupboard where the coffee was normally kept but couldn't find it. She looked through a couple of other cupboards becoming increasingly frustrated when she noticed a note in the first cupboard, sitting where the coffee normally did. She pulled it out, confused as to why it was there. Opening the note she saw seven words in Mike's messy handwriting that she couldn't help but smile at.

_Kate,_

_No coffee allowed!_

_Love you,_

_Mike_

He may have been out at sea but he was still looking after her and the baby. Still holding the note she made her way over to the lounge room and curled up on the end of the couch. She read the note again and again drawing comfort from the few words that let her know Mike cared so much. She fell asleep with his words echoing in her mind.

She was alone, in a rowboat, in the middle of the ocean. She looked around but all that she could see was water as far as the eye could reach. She knew she had to find him, save him, take him home with her but she couldn't. She tried to call his name but her voice wouldn't work. She kept trying but she couldn't make a noise. A ringing started in her ears. She looked around trying to find the source but she couldn't see anything. She tried to call Mike's name again but her throat was dry, her mouth wouldn't open. And the ringing kept getting louder and louder and louder...

Kate sat up with a jolt, confused and shaken by her dream. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes before she realised that the ringing in her dreams was actually the phone. And it was still ringing now. She got up from the couch, glancing at the clock and registering that it was 2am and reached for the handset. "Kate Flynn,"she said, trying to sound less shaken then she felt. _"Kate?"_said the voice over the phone. It was Commander Marshall. "Sir,"said Kate, hoping desperately that he had good news, "have you heard anything?" _"Sorry if I woke you but I thought you should know right away. Hammersley's RO managed to get a message through this morning,"_said Marshall and Kate held her breath, _"the storm knocked out their communications but the crew and the ship are fine and on course __for port, battling through the last of the storm now." _

Kate breathed a sigh of relief and said a quick, silent prayer of thanks to which ever god was listening. "Thank you sir,"she said to Marshall, relief evident in her voice, "you have no idea how good it is to hear that." She said goodbye to Marshall and went back to the bedroom, collapsing onto Mike's side of the bed. His pillow smelt just like him, a scent she had never been able to identify but encompassed Mike completely. The bed didn't seem quite as big or cold as it had before and she drifted off to sleep, a relieved smile on her face.

Kate sat in the waiting room, checking her watch for what must have been the hundredth time. There was still 15 minutes until her appointment. She had arrived at the hospital too early but she was excited and nervous and desperate to see Mike. Now she was worried also. She knew there had been a possibility that Mike wouldn't make it but it didn't stop her hoping. She looked up as she heard footsteps approaching, an expectant expression on her face but they passed straight by her and she looked down at her watch again. 14 minutes and 30 seconds until her appointment. She groaned in frustration and leant her her head against the wall behind her.

* * *

Mike was shifting his weight restlessly in his seat as he drove the Hammersley into port. As she docked at the harbor side he gave orders all the while glancing at his watch and muttering something under his breath. Swain looked at him, eyebrows raised while Nav smiled knowingly. She suggested to him that he go down to his cabin and change and he nodded gratefully. The crew on the bridge looked at each other, wondering at their captains odd behavior but no one spoke.

Mike returned to the bridge, dressed in his whites and Nav informed him of there progress. Mike nodded again and then began shifting restlessly once more, checking his watch. Once the Hammersley was docked she walked over to Mike and spoke to him quietly. "Go sir,"she said, smiling at him, "the XO and I have everything under control here." Mike nodded, thanked Nav and practically ran from the bridge. "What do you know that we don't?"Swain asked Nav. She just smiled cheekily and shrugged. "I have no idea what you are talking about Swain,"she replied, turning back to her console.

* * *

Kate sighed. It was time for her appointment and there was still no sign of Mike. She liked to think that he would make it but she began to resign herself to him missing it. She heard footsteps approach again but she didn't look up this time, staring instead at her clasped hands. "Kate?"she heard and she looked up. He was standing there in his whites, his was windblown and he was slightly out of breath. She couldn't think of anything to say so simply stood up and wrapped her arms around him, never wanting to let him go again. He smiled at her and leant down for a quick kiss, happy to be in her arms again. "I thought you weren't going to make it,"she said, resting her head against his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head and tightened his arms around her. "I told you in my note,"he said, his lips moving against her hair, "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Its going to take a lot more then a little storm to keep me from seeing my baby for the first time. She smiled back at him and was about to kiss him again when Dr Mercer stepped out of her office. "Mr and Mrs Flynn?"she called and smiled as she spotted them in each others arms. Mike took Kate's hand and together they followed Dr Mercer, not to her office, but to another room.

"Okay," the doctor said, opening the door and gesturing for them to go in, "Kate, if you like to lay down on the bed for me and lift up your top we'll get started." Kate obliged and Mike stood next to her watching as Dr Mercer seated herself next to the monitor and squeezed blue gel onto Kate's abdomen. Kate gasped and Mike looked at her, concerned. "The gel is cold,"Kate said, reassuring Mike that nothing was wrong. Dr Mercer smiled at them before flicking on the monitor and moving the wand across Kate's abdomen. Both Kate and Mike held their breaths as she moved the wand, searching for the baby. "Here we go,"she said, smiling again and pointing to the grainy black and white picture on the screen, "that beating you can hear is the heartbeat." Kate gasped. "Its so fast," she said and Mike nodded in agreement, staring in wonder at the picture of their tiny baby. "Its good and strong,"said Dr Mercer, turning back towards the monitor. "And there's the head,"she said, pointing again, and the body..."she trailed off, frowning slightly. Kate and Mike shared a frightened glance.

Dr Mercer pressed a couple of keys and and leaned in closer to the monitor. "Is something wrong?" Mike asked, his tone laced with concern. Dr Mercer just moved the wand slightly on Kate's abdomen. When she spoke suddenly it startled Kate, everything had been quiet except for the heartbeat of the baby coming from the computer. "Do either of you have twins in the family?" she asked looking at them both. Mike shook his head confused as to why she was asking. Kate thought for a minute before replying. "I remember my mother telling me once that my uncle was a twin,"she said, also confused about why she was being asked this. "Do you have any siblings?" the doctor asked Kate. She shook her head. "I'm an only child,"she clarified, sounding even more worried now, "why do you ask?" Dr Mercer nodded and turned back to the monitor while Kate gripped Mike's hand tighter. "Okay,"she said, pulling the monitor closer for Kate and Mike to see, "you see that fluttering on the screen there?" She was pointing to a tiny little movement on the right hand side of the screen.

Kate and Mike nodded, staring at the monitor. "Well," said Dr Mercer, moving her finger over to the left, "if you look here you can see another little fluttering." Kate gasped but Mike still wasn't able to grasp the significance of this. "Our baby has two hearts?"he asked worriedly, looking at Kate, his face showing a frightened look that was almost comical. Kate had to keep herself from laughing. "No, silly," she said, rubbing his hand soothingly, "two heartbeats, two babies." He still looked confused and then hurt when she started laughing at him. "Twins, Mike!" she said happily, wondering at how oblivious he could be, "We're having twins!"


	6. Twice the News, Double the Celebration

A/N: I'm so sorry its been so long. Uni dropped a workload the size of a mountain on me and now I also have to start studying for exams. I will post again really soon though. Guides honor! Oh, and one last thing. I've already decided how this story is going to end but I need some suggestions for babies names. I'm not going to spoil anything in this AN though so I'm asking for both boy and girl names, just to keep you hanging. Flick me a review or send me a message with your suggestions!

Disclaimer: Don't own Sea Patrol. The usual

Mike just looked at Kate, his mouth hanging slightly open, completely at loss as to what to say. He stayed this way for about a minute. Kate watched him. She had never seen him completely speechless before and began to worry, her happy expression growing concerned. "Twins?"Mike finally managed to choke out, looking Kate in the eye. Kate nodded and continued to watch him, waiting for him to regain more composure. "Twins,"he said again, more to himself then anybody else, and he started smiling. Then he began to laugh.

Kate opened the door and walked down the corridor to the kitchen, dumping her bag on the counter. Mike followed her, a huge smile still on his face. "You know,"Kate began, turning around to look Mike in the face, "I think Dr Mercer thought you were insane when you couldn't stop laughing." Mike tried to look wounded but failed miserably, unable to stop smiling. "I couldn't help it Kate,"he said, pulling her into his arms, "I'm just so happy. Twins. Two babies!" Kate laughed. She couldn't help but feel insanely happy either. Mike was so excited about becoming a dad and she was too about becoming a mum. Mike's phone rang and he let Kate go, searching in his pockets for the small device. "Mike Flynn," he said after finally located the mobile, "ah Nav, do you have a sitrep for me?"

Kate wandered away as Mike continued talking with Nikki and sat down on the lounge, tired from the lack of sleep last night and the stress of waiting to hear from Mike. She settled back into the comfy cushions and rested her hands on her abdomen, her eyes slipping closed just as Mike walked into the room. He smiled at the sight of her and moved over to the couch, sitting next to her and wrapping his arms around her. "We've been invited to the pub tonight with the rest of crew,"he said. Kate didn't even open her eyes as she replied. "As long as I can have a nap now you can take me anywhere you like tonight,"she mumbled sleepily, snuggling closer to him and tucking her legs up underneath her." Mike laughed quietly at this and held her close, stroking her hair as she fell asleep.

"I think we should tell the crew tonight,"said Kate as they drove to the pub. She looked at Mike to gauge his reaction, not sure if he wanted the whole crew to know while he was still on board Hammersley. "If you want to, I'm happy to,"he replied, placing the hand that wasn't on the steering wheel on her knee, "but be prepared for a huge celebration. These two will be the first Hammersley babies since Chloe." He moved his hand to rest on her abdomen for a few seconds before reaching for her own hand and lacing his fingers through hers. Kate smiled and looked down at her still flat stomach. "They'll be corrupting you two before you can even walk,"she said and Mike laughed knowing that she was absolutely correct. "Will you tell them about your promotion?" she asked and Mike sighed, stroking the back of her hand. "I suppose I'll have to,"he said, glancing quickly at Kate, "I can't put it off for any longer."

When they walked into the pub they had no problem finding the crew. They were the loudest and rowdiest group in the pub, occupying a couple of tables close to the bar. Mike and Kate headed over to them and were greeted loudly by the sailors. Kate sat down next to Nikki and Mike made his way over to he bar to get them drinks. He returned with a beer for himself and lemonade for Kate. He sat in the seat next to her and seeing the expressions on the faces of the crew, waited expectantly for the onslaught of questions.

Not being one to beat about the bush, Buffer dove in with the first question. "Whats going on sir?"he asked, and the rest of the crew looked at Mike. "Yeah sir,"said Spider, elaborating on Buffer's question, "you ran off the ship this morning like there was a fire or something." The crew watched him closely, trying to see a reaction of any kind to the questions but Mike, to his credit, remained poker faced. "You were acting really strange while we were out on patrol too sir,"said Swain, hoping this would prompt the captain to answer.

Mike looked at Kate, his gaze questioning. "What will we tell them first?" he asked, a teasing tone in his voice, knowing that this was winding the crew up even further. "I think you should tell them your news first,"said Kate innocently, trying not to smile at how impatient the group of sailors around them were becoming. "Okay,"Mike nodded and turned back to the crew, all whom were silent as they waited for Mike's answer, "I've been promoted to Commander and will be taking a shore posting."

Half of the crew's mouths fell open in shock at the thought of Mike Flynn leaving Hammersley, the other half staring at him in stunned silence. It took almost a whole minute for Buffer to regain enough composure to speak. "Well..."he said, glancing around at the shocked faces surrounding him, "congratulations sir." The rest of the crew recovered themselves on hearing these words and echoed Buffer's sentiment. "Who will be our new CO sir?"asked Swain, voicing what everyone was clearly thinking. "Well,"said Mike, looking at Nikki and Josh who were both doing an excellent job at hiding that they knew all of this already, "the XO is going to be promoted to CO after I leave and Nikki will be promoted to XO." The crew all cheered at this and began to loudly congratulate Nikki, not too put out by he news of who their new captain would be. They all liked the current X.

One sailor, however, was quieter then the others, thinking over what the captain had said and finally raised his voice over the others to ask his question.

"But sir,"Spider said, having just had an unusual moment of clarity, "you haven't told us why you decided to take your promotion. And why you ran from the ship this morning." The rest of the crew quietened down when they realised what Spider had asked and looked at Mike again, waiting for an answer. "Well,"said Mike, smiling at Kate and taking her hand, "there are two very good reasons why I am leaving the ship." Kate smiled back at him and looked at the crew, deciding to end the suspense they were suffering under. "I'm pregnant,"she said, looking around and waiting for the explosion of celebration. She wasn't disappointed.

Bomber squealed and ran around the table to hug Kate, launching into an immediate conversation about names and due dates. The male members of the crew roared their congratulations and all tried to slap Mike on the back and shake his hand at once. Spider, however, was still exhibiting the same unusual clarity as before and raised his voice again to ask, "What's the second reason sir?" Everyone dropped the noise level slightly to hear Mike's answer and Kate moved away from her conversation with Nikki and Bomber. "Well,"said Mike, wrapping an arm around Kate and pulling her close while musing over the number of times he had started a sentence with 'well' tonight, "Kate is having twins." The following eruption of noise from the crew had other people in the pub looking over, wondering what on earth was going on.

"They took the news of the promotion better then I thought they would,"said Mike later that night, laying next to Kate with his arms wrapped around her, hands resting protectively on her abdomen. Kate laughed and and stroked his hand. "Yes, well,"she replied, shifting closer to him, "I think the news about the twins might have distracted them slightly. Expect some wounded puppy dog looks when you go back out on patrol. Your last patrol." Kate rolled over to look at him, noticing the sad look in his eyes. "You really will miss it, won't you?"she said, stroking his cheek softly. He smiled at her, leaning into her soft touch. "Not as much as I would miss watching our sons grow up." Kate stopped stroking his cheek then and frowned at him.

"You think we are having two boys?"she asked, one of her hands moving to rest on her stomach. "I don't think, I know,"said Mike, grinning widely at her. She snorted and rolled back over, allowing him to wrap his arms around again. "You better hope I'm not carrying two boys,"she said sleepily, slowly beginning to drift off. "Why is that?"asked Mike, stroking her stomach softly. "Because if I really am carrying two boys as arrogant as you, I'm going to do the world a favor and refuse to push."she replied. She didn't have to role over and look at his face to know that he was wearing a wounded expression. "What do you mean arrogant?" he asked, poking her gently in the back. "Kate!" he whined when she didn't reply, rolling her over to look at her. But she was already asleep.


	7. Panic, Relief and Everything Inbetween

A/N: I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been struggling to write two psychology assignments. Abject, pleading apologies. I've just about finished the assignments and will be handing them in this week and then I am free for 3 weeks. Well when I say free I mean I will be studying desperately for end of semester exams. But after that I have 4 whole weeks of holidays during which I will be able to write as much as I please and update more regularly. I hope this is worth the wait.

I was considering being mean and making this a short chapter with a cliffhanger but you have all been so patient with me so I shall reward that patience with a nice long chapter. I hope you like it. I am still taking suggestions for baby names. So far I have received a grand total of zero. If you have a name you like, let me know. Boy, girl doesn't matter. Now, on with the good stuff!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Sea Patrol. If I did Mike and Kate would be married with twins.

Kate and Mike held hands as they walked down to the dock towards Hammersley. Even from a distance of they could both see the crew of the infamous patrol boat working quickly to make her ready for sea. Kate looked at Mike, a slight frown on her face as she analysed his expression. It was an odd mixture of sad, happy and wistful and it made her heart ache for him.

She stroked the back of his hand with her thumb and he looked at her from his superior height. "You're really going to miss it aren't you," she said, more of a statement then a question and Mike's confirming nod drew a sad smile from her. He didn't have to say anything. She knew exactly how he was feeling having already sacrificed Hammersley for them both..

They stopped walking, having reached the ship and Kate turned and faced Mike, reaching up to stroke his cheek softly. "I will miss Hammersley," said Mike, glancing up at the ship, "but I'll miss you more this week." Mike leant into her soft touch and smiled at her, earning himself one of her beautiful smiles in return.

"Its only a week," she whispered wrapping her arms around his neck and nestling her face into his shoulder, her fingers playing with his hair. He drew her closer and she turned her face up to kiss him, taking her time, savoring the feelings she would miss while he was gone. The warmth of his body next to hers, the little thrill she felt when he looked at her so lovingly, the feel of his lips against hers.

Mike broke off from the kiss and buried his face in her soft hair, inhaling her warm scent. "I know it's only a week," he said, pulling back to look at her face, "but I'll still miss you like crazy. All three of you." She smiled and kissed him again quickly, fingers still toying with his hair.

He stepped back but instead of letting her go like she expected him to he knelt down in front of her and placed a kiss on her abdomen. "Now you two be good for mum,"he said and kissed her stomach one more time before getting up. Kate grinned at him and leaned in, kissing him on the cheek.

"See you in a week Sailor," she said and waited for him to leave. Instead he stood there and stared at her, a bemused look on his face.

"What?"she asked, tilting her head to the side in question.

"You haven't called me Sailor since the first time we dated."he said, smiling at her. She thought this over for a minute before realising he was right. She hadn't used the endearment in years.

"Well get used to it Sailor," she said and smiling, she turned and walked towards NAVCOM, one hand resting on her stomach. He watched her walk, noticing the sway of her hips and the graceful way she held herself before turning and walking on board Hammersley, saluting the ensign as he passed.

Three days without Mike. It had only been three days without him and she missed him terribly. To her credit it had been three days of morning sickness, torturous breast pain and weight gain that she couldn't fathom. How on earth had she put on weight when she had thrown up just about everything she ate? Not to mention the mountain of paperwork Marshall had dropped on her desk that seemed to grow higher every time she blinked and the sleepless nights. She just couldn't get comfortable without him next to her.

She was surprised and a little proud that she had made it three days without going completely crazy. The prospect of another four was daunting, however, and she wondered if threatening to go on strike would be enough to convince Marshall to bring Mike home sooner. She stretched and stood up. She couldn't sit behind her desk any longer or she would fall asleep. She grabbed her purse and headed out in search of some lunch.

Commander Marshall stuck his head out of his office and called for his assistant Darryl. "Have you seen Lieutenant Flynn?" Marshall asked the harried assistant. "She was supposed to have three reports on my desk fifteen minutes ago!" Darryl shook his head at the commander.

"Sorry sir," he said, gesturing apologetically, "last I saw she was headed to the bathrooms." Marshall nodded and turned back into his office.

"Have her report to me as soon as she gets back,"he said, waving Darryl away with one hand and making his way back to his desk where his own mountain of paperwork needing signing awaited him.

"Yes sir,"said Darryl, heading back out to his desk to get back to work before Marshall could yell at him. Fortunately, as he was making his way back to his desk he spotted Kate. He walked over to her, noting the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. "Commander Marshall wants to see you in his office now," he said, smiling apologetically to her. She nodded and made her way over to Marshall's door.

Knocking, she heard his instruction to enter and walked inside, closing the door behind her again. Only then Marshall noticed how pale she was. He could practically see the waves of tiredness radiating off her. "You wanted to see me sir," she said, standing opposite to him.

"Kate," he said, his tone softening slightly, "those reports were supposed to be on my desk twenty minutes ago. I need them now or I won't be able to get through the rest of this." He gestured towards the pile of papers in front of him.

Kate nodded, the strangest feeling overcoming her. She felt light headed and the room began to spin, the edges of her vision darkening. "Sorry sir,"she said stumblingly, desperately clinging to the edge of consciousness, "I'll...I'll get them...to..." but the rest of her sentence was lost as her vision finally went black and she collapsed onto the carpet.

Mike was thoroughly enjoying his last patrol. It had been quite relaxing, the only excitement the boarding of an FFV that they were towing back to base. Only three and a half days left of being CO of Hammersley. Only three and a half days until he could see Kate. This thought brought a smile to the captains face and the rest of the crew were glad to see him happy even if they were sad to see him leave.

Mike's happy thoughts were interrupted by no other than Robert Dixon. "Sir,"he said, unwilling to look the captain in the eye, "call for you in the COMCEN. It's Commander Marshall. Somethings happened." Mike's face fell and the crew exchanged worried looks. For Robert to be unwilling to tell Mike exactly what had happened it had to be bad. Really bad.

There was an annoying beeping coming from the right. It was incessant yet regular. And really irritating. She had been having such a lovely dream too, peaceful. Just her and Mike at home, relaxing after work. She fought consciousness for a little bit longer, her body steadily becoming more aware of her surroundings.

There was the beeping noise. She had already established that it was coming from somewhere to the right and was really annoying. There was also a weird belt around her waist, resting against her abdomen. And then there was the warm weight on her hand. She realised it was another hand, rough, brown fingers curled through her own. Mike.

"Mike,"she said, finally surrendering to being awake and turning towards the man sitting beside her bed. Her movement caused a slight dull ache through her muscles that reminded her of the soreness you get a couple of days after an intense workout. "Where am I?" she asked, confused by her surroundings, "What happened?"

"Kate?" said Mike, his voice flooded with relief, "Oh thank god your awake!" He stroked her cheek softly and squeezed her hand tight. "I've been worried sick!" he exclaimed. Kate just looked at him confused, unsure of what had happened. Her mind began thinking back, looking over the events of the past few days. Mike had left and she had been alone for three days. She was at work and really tired. She had just finished throwing up in the bathroom when Darryl told her Marshall wanted to see her. She had walked into his office and talked to him and then nothing. Blank. Darkness.

"Mike, what happened?" asked Kate, her tone becoming alarmed, "Am I in the hospital?" Mike nodded

and watched Kate carefully, trying to gauge how stressed she was. "Oh my god,"said Kate, becoming more worried by the second, "am I okay? Are the babies okay?" she asked, her hands flying to her abdomen.

"Calm down," said Mike hastily, one hand stroking her cheek, the other covering her hands on her stomach. "The babies are fine. You are fine. You just fainted." Kate breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed

only to tense up seconds later.

"If I only fainted why am I in hospital? And how are you here? You were still three days away from port. How long have I been unconscious?" she asked, her worried eyes turning towards Mike. He tucked her hair behind her ear and continued stroking her face.

"You were exhausted and very dehydrated," he explained, frowning at her, "the doctor said you had been working far too hard, not getting enough rest. The decided to give you a mild sedative so you could get some sleep and they hooked you up to an IV to rehydrate you. Marshall called me and authorised us to drop the tow of the FFV. He sent the Kingston to pick it up and we sprinted back to base. You've only been unconscious for a day.

Kate nodded and tried to process all of this. She had been feeling awful will Mike was away and she had worked to hard, throwing herself into it to keep distracted and busy. "You scared me Kate,"said Mike shakily, "for a minute there I thought I had lost you and the babies. Never do that to me again." he finished, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry,"said Kate, reaching for him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her like he would never let her go, relief flowing through him like a drug.

"I forgot to ask, how was your last patrol?" Kate asked a few days later as she lay on the couch. She had been released from hospital under strict instructions from her doctor to stay on bed rest for a week. Mike had refused to let her lift a finger and as much as Kate enjoyed being treated like a queen it was growing old quickly. She was looking forward to tomorrow when she was allowed up and about again but she had learnt her lesson. She was going to take it easy for the rest of her pregnancy. Relax and enjoy herself.

"It was very pleasant until someone interrupted it"Mike replied, moving across the lounge room to sit with Kate. She poked her tongue out at him and he laughed before lifting up her legs and siting down, placing them in his lap. "Not much happened," Mike continued, rubbing Kate's feet, "it was actually quite peaceful." Kate smiled at him and he smiled back, happy to be home where he could look after her.

"No regrets?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Nope," said Mike, tickling her feet til she laughed, "no regrets." She nodded and settled back into the fluffy pillow behind her back. Mike stared again, wondering for about the thousandth time at how beautiful she was. "I love you Kate," he said, giving her his bone melting grin.

"Love you too Sailor,"said Kate smiling at him before looking down at her stomach, "and I love you two too," she said, resting her hand on her abdomen and closing her eyes for a sleep.


	8. Totally Hooked On You

A/N: I'm sooooooo sorry! I haven't updated this in forever. I've had a serious case of writers block but I've worked through it and now present you with a new chapter. I've written this chapter from Mike's perspective so we get a bit about how he is feeling about all of this confusing pregnancy stuff.

Would also like to add a 'WOW' for how awesome Season Four was! I'm totally in love with Dutchy and I am working on a fic involving him.

Anyways, read on, enjoy chapter 8 and please review

Disclaimer: I don't own Sea Patrol or any of its characters. If I did I wouldn't have left season four with such a question mark at the end!

"I don't want to argue about it any longer Mike," said Kate, her determination showing in her eyes, "We aren't finding out the sex of the babies and that's final!" Mike just shook his head. She had made her mind up and lately there was no arguing with her.

The weeks had flown past since she had been hospitalised and now it was time for Kate's second ultrasound and an amniocentesis to check that the babies were healthy. Mike was now settled into his job at NAVCOM and Kate's sick leave was just about up.

Marshall had granted her some time off after she collapsed and Kate had enjoyed four very relaxing weeks of doing absolutely nothing. She was now four months pregnant and beginning to show. It crossed Mike's mind that she wouldn't fit into her whites for much longer. Boy would Kate have something to say about that.

Already there had been many tears about weight gain and various other things that Kate normally wouldn't get upset over. Her hormones had run rampant and Mike had simply been at a loss to fathom the amount of changes that came over Kate so quickly.

She became emotional and easy to upset. More than once he had made her cry and comforting her and apologising only ever seemed to make it worse. The most memorable occasion would have to have been when Mike forgot to get milk on the way home from work.

Kate had burst into tears and then got so angry that she threw a plate at his head. Mike tried to apologise but that just made her cry harder. Fed up and frustrated, Mike went out and got the damn milk and some flowers to try and cheer Kate up only to come home and find she had forgotten about the whole thing and cooked dinner

Luckily she was entering the second trimester now. Her morning sickness had just about stopped, the crazy hormones had settled down and she seemed to be enjoying her pregnancy for the first time. Mike was pleased to see her so happy and relaxed, even if they were fighting at the moment.

It wasn't a huge fight. All Mike wanted was to find out the sex of the babies but Kate wanted it to be a surprise. Mike had begged and pleaded but Kate remained determined to the point where she threatened to ban him from the room while they did the ultrasound.

She kept pointing out that it didn't matter what sex the babies were. As long as they were strong and healthy Kate couldn't care less. He had pointed out several times that if she didn't care about the sex of the babies why did it matter if they found out? She refused to see his point, however, and continued to say no.

Mike, despite this, wanted to know. It mattered to him.

He had spent all his time at as a CO and at NAVCOM knowing things. Learning all the information so that he could make decisions. The prospect of not knowing something this important was alien to him but he knew there was no way he would win this fight.

So now, Mike was admitting defeat. No amount of reasoned argument, begging and pleading would get her to change her mind. He had tried all of it. It wasn't as if he could hold anything over her either. She was the one carrying his children and therefore she held all the cards.

"Fine," said Mike, his tone slightly sulky, "I give up, have it your way." Kate gave him a quizzical look.

"I was going to have my way all along Mike," she said, smiling at him now, "What made you think it would be any other way?" Mike shook his head.

"I don't know," he said, "Denial? Blind stupidity?" Kate laughed and kissed him on the cheek. He couldn't help but smile at how happy she was. After all, a surprise wouldn't be so bad.

Later that night Mike lay peacefully next to Kate listening to her deep breaths in and out as she slept. He couldn't sleep. He didn't even feel tired. He kept looking at the grainy black and white picture of his babies feeling totally at peace. He was going to be a father and that was worth all the fighting and tears in the world.

Suddenly Kate sat up, startling Mike. Her hands flew to her abdomen and she sat in silence for a few seconds. "Kate?" Mike asked worriedly, concerned that there might be something wrong. They had been told that an amniocentesis could bring on premature labour and Mike began to panic when Kate didn't respond. "Kate?" he asked again, his worry evident in his tone.

"Shh," she said, silencing him, "Hang on a second." She continued to sit with her hands on her stomach and then a wide smile broke out on her face. "Here," she said, pressing Mike's hand to the left hand side of her abdomen, "Just there! Did you feel that?" Mike shook his head.

"No," he said, "What is it?" Kate looked at him exasperated.

"One of them is moving!" she said. She moved his hand again. "There! Did you feel that one?" Mike concentrated and then felt the tiniest little movement under the palm of his hand. Kate looked at him expectantly as a smile broke out across his face.

"Wow!" he said as he felt the baby move again. There wasn't anything else he could say. He was absolutely amazed.

"Now the other one is moving!" said Kate, grabbing his other hand so that now both were pressed to her stomach. Mike felt both his babies move and he was awed. He had fallen completely head-over-heels in love with these two tiny beings growing inside Kate.

Now he got her point. He hadn't realised it before. The sex hadn't mattered to her because she already loved their children. From the minute she found out she was pregnant she had loved the babies. And now that he could feel them moving they became real for him. His heart swelled with love and he leaned down and kissed Kate's stomach.

He was hooked and he hadn't even met them yet.


End file.
